Can Sick Rick Save America?

A Shameless Charlatan!

Or is he the latest clown from the GOP funny farm?

When I was stationed at Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio Texas, there was a popular adage that summed up our feelings about the state: “Everything is big in Texas, from belt buckles to Bullshit Artists!” That’s what comes to mind every time I see Rick Perry, the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination – who is now 15 points ahead of his closest competitor Mitt Romney in the polls.

A dangerous duplicitous charlatan – Sick Rick has blown past Milquetoast Mitt with bold claims as a great job creator, and garnered headlines with reckless rhetoric like accusing the Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke of “treason.” Since treason is punishable by death, in view of our recent experience with crazed gunmen and public officials, this charge could well be viewed as an invitation to murder. Especially since he has followed up on that invitation with this statement of his belief on gun control, “I believe in gun control…I believe you should hold the gun with both hands!”

Ironically, he already has blood on his hands in the eyes of many forensic scientist; who are convinced Sick Rick ordered the execution of an innocent man for political reasons after being presented with scientific evidence of his innocence. Just a few months ago the Texas governor flirted with the possibility of Secession from the Union, which borders on real treason! So what qualifies an irresponsible mediocrity like Sick Rick to be President? Well…in terms of the optics, he looks like the Marlboro man.

Aside from his looks, Ricky’s claim to fame is the way he has managed the Texas economy. However when we look closely at the record, his reputation as a “job creator” turns out to be more fable than fact. Texas leads the nation in minimum wage non-union jobs with no benefits. Texas has the highest number of children without health insurance. Texas has the highest number of people 25 and younger without a high-school diploma. And he has made the situation worse by savage cuts in the education budget.

Much of the job growth in Texas was achieved by raiding other states, which had more responsible regulation and taxation laws. And if it had not been for a multi-billion dollar infusion of stimulus money from the federal government – which he publicly denounces – the state would have been faced with bankruptcy as a result of the ruinous economic policies of fellow Texan George Bush! Furthermore, there is abundant evidence that he has operated a “play for pay” policy with businessmen who do business with the state; which is certainly unethical and may yet prove illegal upon close scrutiny.

One observer of Texas politics summed Sick Rick up this way: He is Bush minus Bush’s intellect and ethics! He is a complete phony who talks out of both sides of his mouth with the skill of a ventriloquist; nothing demonstrates this more than his constant proclamation to the American people that if elected he “will make the federal government as inconsequential in your life as possible,” yet as I write he is whining like hysterical baby begging for federal help to save his state from a raging inferno.

Only the ignorance of the electorate, which the Republicans always figure in their calculus for victory, can deliver the White House to this shameless charlatan. And that includes the self-defeating antics of disgruntled wags on the liberal /left like Cornell West, Arianna Huffington, Amy Goodman, Chris Hedges, et al whose mindless attacks on President Obama could cause many who previously voted for him to sit the election out. This is the same crew that helped elect George Bush when they decided to support Ralph Nader over Al Gore.

I warned against the tactics they were using then – see: “On Choosing the Lesser Evil.” For such a smart group of people they continue to do some really dumb shit! It is an object lesson on the dangers of blind adherence to ideology. A smart electorate would reject a clown like Slick Rick out of hand. As they say in Texas: He is a cowboy who is all hat and no cattle! If such a flawed con-man gets in the White House, only divine intervention can save America!